All your questions answered by Manor Insurance

A:Traditionally young drivers have had to put up with old, small cars. Now logically this may not seem unreasonable, they’re cheap to buy, cheap to run and have tended to be less expensive to insure. But that has all changed.

Following considerable research by the insurance industry it is now proven that the best car from an insurance point of view is a newer car. Why?

It seems that young drivers who have a new car have less accidents - maybe it is because they have a pride in their car compared to feeling they are “making do” with an old car.

New cars also have far more safety features so even if there is an accident there is far less likelihood of injury.

Let’s look at injury. Here in the UK we have one of the lowest accident rates in Europe, some surveys say we have the lowest. But we have the highest rate of whiplash claims. Bizarre? Well maybe. I am not going to be drawn into that discussion here but the simple fact is that injury claims account for over 75% of the total value of all claims paid out.

Going back to the question regarding young drivers. There is one more absolutely crucial aspect in keeping young drivers and their passengers safe. That is a telematics system recording the way the car is driven. This is a black box placed under the bonnet which records acceleration, breaking and also monitors speed. OK, some people will call it a spy, but in some respects it’s as if you have a parent in the car with you monitoring your driving.

These telematic systems have cut claims considerably. This has a twofold benefit. The one which is top of most people’s lists is it cuts down insurance premium. The second and as a father the one which is far more important to me, it means your child is less likely to end up in A&E.

We have two options to help young drivers, here at Manor Insurance. The first is a “Just add Fuel” option whereby you buy a brand new car which is insured, taxed and serviced for the first year. Your simply just have to add fuel. By tying up with Marmalade, one of the largest suppliers of cars to young drivers we have negotiated discounts on forecourt prices and you get your first year’s insurance thrown in FREE!.

If you have already brought you own car we can offer an insurance package which includes a Black Box.

Now as these products are aimed at young drivers we have made it easy to get quotes and compare costs with a fully interactive website www.manorinsurance.co.uk/young_driver.html. But rest assured, if you prefer to talk to someone you can do so, our website has full contact details.

Ian Mantel is an insurance broker with 30 years experience. Manor Insurance Services are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and have been based in Hastings since 1990. You can call 01424 718790 with any queries or visit www.manorinsurance.co.uk

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